Just taken a look at Butterfly Conservation's First Sightings page and there isn't an entry yet for Brimstone, so that might be the first, Mike. :) I think it does raise the question of what counts as an emergence. A hibernating butterfly woken by a sudden burst of warmth in its resting place, whic...

A Brimstone flew in sunshine around an ivy-clad wall at the 'Walled Garden' plant centre near Reading this afternoon. I watched it flutter above the Ivy but when it settled it rapidly disappeared amongst the leaves. From the pale colour, I suspect a female although females don't usually emerge until...

I think the colour shift has been produced in the camera. Be very wary of 'auto' colour balance, which is easily misled if the subject is not 'typical' ( as defined by the camera maker) It's better to set the appropriate white balance for the light conditions at the time and better still to match t...

I look forward to your review, Guy. In my opinion, it rather falls between two stools - too few species for an ID guide and too little detail for a true field guide. I think, as a pocket ID guide, the companion volume covering Peninsular Malaysia provided a better balance.

Mike

Another thought: get a spare battery. The batteries are good and last a long time, but their life is reduced if you top them up to full every day, so better to have two and use them more completely. It seems that lithium ion batteries last better if they are never fully charged. My laptop has a fac...

Perhaps a few readers with long memories might recall that I wrote about a visit I made to Sabah (North Borneo) in 2015. In a diary post dated 3rd Nov 2015, I wrote that " Unfortunately, there is no guide to Borneo butterflies currently in print, though Pemberley are taking pre-orders for one. ...

I've got 50 species so far, still a few to go, ... The last few can be the hardest but perhaps re-introductions will help. I had to go up to Scotland for my final one - Chequered Skipper - but since then, I've photographed some in Fineshade Wood, Northants in 2022. I'm not sure which are your last ...

A friend reporting seeing a Brimstone in flight today, during a walk near Ardington, Oxon (near Wantage)

Mike

Like others, I enjoyed reading your retrospective Jack. In comparison, I was a late-comer, largely through photography, where butterflies presented an interesting challenge for obtaining attractive images. It was my son who really caught the 'bug' and encouraged me to photograph all the 'mainstream'...

There have been a number of constraints on me this season which have been outside of my control. These have significantly impacted the number of butterfly outings I have been able to enjoy and severely restricted my time at venues. A superb resumé of your 'butterfly year', Pauline. Despite the cons...

While what Jack says is all true, I'm not sure that it is the problem in your case. The two cameras have the same size of sensor and very similar specifications overall, except that the FZ330 maintains constant aperture across the whole zoom range and also has weather sealing. I looked at the EXIF d...

Even a boring 'Cabbage' White can make a nice photo, so I shall give this one a moment of glory. Photographed on 12th September at Nuneham Arboretum, near Oxford, where it was nectaring on the attractive white flowered shrub Heptacodium miconoides.
Mike

Sorry, not a butterfly but the Hummingbird Hawk-Moth ( Macroglossum stellatarum ) is a species that has been eluding me for years. They seem to have been especially prolific this year, however, even visiting my son's garden in central Reading. My photos were taken in a relative's garden near Salisbu...

Pauline wrote: ↑Thu Aug 18, 2022 8:45 amIf anyone finds them of interest then that is a bonus.

A wonderful collection - browsing through has given me a lot of pleasure, thank you.

Mike

I like your darker-style images too. You could try using a touch of fill-in flash on some of the against-the-light images. I sometimes think flash is at its most useful in bright sunlight, where dark shadows can seem much 'blacker' than in reality. The Jersey Tiger shots are very nice too. My son wa...

I always like to see SSS - where did you find those?

Wonderful emergence sequences, Pauline, and some interesting early stages too. You are obviously having a great season

Mike

I've added a note - in my post - there is no need to go beyond the public access area.

22nd May - Fineshade Wood Northants From the Forest England website https://www.forestryengland.uk/fineshade-wood/chequered-skipper-butterflies " The [Chequered Skipper] butterfly which was previously extinct in England has been successfully breeding in Fineshade Wood. The population is now st...

While, fortunately, the upperside view of a Peacock basking in sunshine is still a frequent sight in UK, I have chosen an underside view. It is an extraordinary result of evolution, to create such a cryptic underside that hides this butterfly so well during its hibernation. peacock_uns-2021a.jpg Mike